Annapolis, MD—Maryland Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, which ruled that labor unions may not collect fees for services they are legally required to provide to workers:
“Republicans have declared war on unions, and Larry Hogan has been standing right next to them the entire time. He has called our teachers ‘thugs,’ he started his term by trying to cut pay for state employees, and he cut prescription drug benefits for state employee retirees.
“This Republican attack at the Supreme Court threatens to undermine workers’ rights and further rig our economy and our democracy against working people.
“As growing income inequality forces families to do more with less and make impossible decisions, we need unions now more than ever.
“Workers are more productive than ever, yet many families are falling behind and in many cases struggling to get by. That’s not right.
“Unions give their members a voice and fight to improve working conditions for all workers by raising wages and increasing access to health care and retirement security.
“We already know that Larry Hogan will continue standing with his wealthy Republican allies, whereas Ben Jealous will provide bold principled leadership to protect workers’ access to union representation and move Maryland forward.”